The survey results revealed that Samsung mobiles outsold all other brands (in terms of monetary value) at general retailers (excluding shops run directly by mobile service providers) during the first ten months of 2000. The company’s handsets were also ranked second in number of units sold for the same period.
Samsung came in behind Nokia for units sold but recorded a higher dollar amount than Nokia, meaning that Samsung brand mobile phones are commanding higher prices than any other brand in the US. Hence, Korean company has managed to establish itself as the top brand image among US consumers.
The NPD Intelect data go on to say that Samsung held the fourth largest dollar share and was ranked fifth in unit share in the US for 1999. The figures for 2000 show a dramatic rise in just a single year.
Samsung’s strong performance can be attributed to ongoing investment in R&D efforts aimed at addressing local consumer needs. At the same time, the company has worked tirelessly to boost the retail prices of its mobile handsets.
The success of Samsung mobile phones is helping to raise the image of all Korean-made mobiles. Thus, other Korean handset manufacturers are expected to see sales increases in the US market as well.
The US market is the world’s most hotly contested mobile phone arena. Although the Twice magazine survey does not include sales at shops run by the service providers themselves, it does reveal that Samsung mobiles are the top sellers in stores that directly reflect consumer preferences.
In fact, Samsung Electronics exported US$3 billion worth of mobile phones in 2000, and this figure represented 70% of the total US$4.3 billion Korean-made mobiles exported for the year.
